Our Past Entries

When life hands you fire, make s'mores!
This past weekend's wedding was a very special one for me to plan.  One of my dearest friends, Dave, finally found the woman of his dreams, Mary Ann, and I must say she was worth the wait.  Dave has been coming out to MT to visit us for the past 13 years, so I was really excited when he decided to get married here.  However, Mary Ann's first visit to Montana started just days before her wedding and with a 24,000 acre forest fire burning just miles from the Paradise Valley wedding site.  The smoke was so thick when they arrived, you could not see the mountains.  In fact, you could barely see past the front porch!  But cool weather arrived on cue and the smoke cleared.  Since the fire was on our mind, we incorporated it into our theme with brilliant orange, red, yellow and pink centerpieces, marshmellow place cards (thus the s'more reference above), and custom linens with the color listing "fire".  Since it's been dry and fire was a concern, this was a flame free wedding.  Instead we used flickering "fire cubes" in the candle holders and even created this faux campfire with a "fire cube" bed of coals.  Magnificent food, a group of incredible friends and family, and the old-school dance moves of the groom's father made this a wedding that I enjoyed both as a guest and a planner.  Congratulations Dave and Mary Ann ,we are looking forward to seeing both of you next year for the annual visit to Montana!    P.S.  I have just previewed the images from this wedding (from Mary McCulley), but they are incredible and I can't wait to post the gallery.  We also have some fun pictures we shot ourselves that we will post as soon as they are edited.
Warmest Regards,
Katalin Green
August 22, 2007

A Recipe for Success

Weddings  Weddings  Weddings!
For us, summer means weddings and this season is shaping up to be one of our most memorable.  We're not even halfway through the season and we have already planned fabulous events on private ranches, in historic venues, and at fine resorts.  We also had the unique privilege of planning weddings for siblings of two of our previous clients this season.  Planning these weddings and seeing these families again was a reminder of why we love this profession.  After all of the hard work and months of planning, it is a truly wonderful experience to see the dreams of the couple, and the family, come true.  In the words of one mother of the bride, "It was spectacular!! Thanks for everything."  We have been so busy with events this season that we have fallen a little behind on keeping our website galleries updated.  Pictures are on the way and we will post them as soon as possible.  
Warmest Regards, Katalin Green,  July 3, 2007

Weddings and Technology
Many of today's couples are building websites to keep their guests informed about the wedding.  The idea of mixing technology and wedding planning is nothing new at Katalin Green Design.  We have offered wedding websites to our clients starting with our very first wedding!  Over the years, we have expanded the website themes we offer as well as built a large library of information to include on our client's websites.  Discounted car rentals, a large array of recreational options, local real-time weather, maps, and important information about Montana are just a few of the items we feature on our client sites. In addition, we add pictures of the couple, welcome notes, registry information, wedding schedules, lodging blocks and any other personal information the couple would like to pass on to their guests.  In addition to offering websites for our clients, our in-house designer is updating our on-line Bride resource page to allow our clients to log in and download music samples and other important information whenever they like.  From the inception of Katalin Green Design, we realized the importance of information in planning events and weddings, but more importantly the importance of being able to better deliver that information to clients, parents, and guests.  For that reason, we have always had a staff designer and IT person to enable us to better utilize technology in planning perfect Montana weddings.  It's just one of the many details we take care of to make sure you and your guests enjoy Montana to the fullest.  You can visit a sample of one of our wedding websites by clicking here.
Warmest Regards, Katalin Green 
May 4, 2007

Full Swing into Spring 
Our 2007 season is shaping up to be yet another incredible year of weddings and events.  The season has already been busy with a flurry of Spring weddings, a unique challenge since a day can start out warm with bluebird skies and end with 3 inches of snow on the ground!  We are excited to once again have an array of clients from around the United States planning weddings on private ranches, riverside meadows, and in Montana's top resorts.  This year we will also be planning weddings for siblings of some of our previous clients and feel privileged to have the opportunity to work with these wonderful families again.    

Building Katalin Green Design has been a dream come true and it seems to get better every year. (Believe it or not, we are already booking weddings for 2008).  Weddings are one of the most important days in a person's life and each couple has a vision of what they want in that day.  Our job is to take that vision and make it a reality.  A comment I regularly hear from our clients, and the one I am most proud of, is that the wedding exceeded their expectations, that it was more beautiful than they could have dreamed.  This has become the goal we set for every event.  Thank you to all of our clients, past, present and future, that have entrusted with the task of designing this most important event.  We have some beautiful Spring weddings that we will be adding to our gallery in the very near future.  
Happy Spring, Katalin Green April 24, 2007
photo by Janie Osborne Photography
photo by Janie Osborne Photography

A Special Thank You
People often ask me about the most difficult part of planning weddings and events.  The answer is quite simply that I spend a lot of time on the road and away from my family.  I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank them for the patience and understanding that allows me to fully pursue this career.  I know it's not always easy for them, but they are real troopers about it.  My son, Hunter (13), is an aspiring filmmaker and recently produced his first film, Lucky Number 13, a ski film which was voted as one of the top three films in the Bridger Bowl Point and Chute contest and was then nominated for 2 categories in The Cold Smoke Awards, a winter film festival.  You can visit his website, www.lucky13-films.com, to see his film.  My daughter, Hannah (9), spends all of her free time with the love of her life, Termie, her Arab pony.  She has been riding since she was five and loves jumping (2' 3" and up), cantering, galloping, and spending time at the ranch. You can visit her barn on-line at www.eponaequine.com (a great place for young and old alike to learn to ride).  My husband jokes that he is the personal assistant to all of us.  I just wanted to thank them for all of their support and love.

An All Out Extravaganza!
We were once again honored to be the event designers for the Museum of the Rockies Winter Event, this year celebrating with a 50th Anniversary Extravaganza.  The event, which was held in the Museum, featured 5 rooms, each decorated for a different decade.  Our Fifties Room was built around 50's Vegas complete with a poker room,  a custom "Vegas" sign, cigarette girls and our very own showgirl.  A large screen played Movies and other iconic images from the decade as guests enjoyed signature drinks from our Martini bar.  We continued our theme into the Sixties with Go Go dancers and a light show which transitioned into our full scale disco room celebrating the Seventies.  Our eighties room featured the Lava Lounge for guests that wanted a quiet place to get away.  Our final decade, the Nineties was built around a custom coffee bar serving a wide array of favorites.  We trucked in custom period furniture for each room and finished the look with custom linens and specialty centerpieces featuring self contained lighting.  Exquisite catering and full bars, each serving a signature drink specific to the decade theme of the room, completed each room.  Following the live auction with guest auctioneer, Senator Conrad Burns, the disco kicked into full gear and guests busted out their best moves under a spectacular light show!  This year's gala was truly an over-the-top event and we could not have done it without the wonderful team of volunteers, Museum staff, Katalin Green Design Staff, Filmlites, Poindexter's, and the numerous others that supplied us with services and assistance.  We would like to thank everyone involved for their contribution in making this such a wonderful evening.  We would also like to congratulate the Museum of the Rockies on Fifty wonderful years and for allowing us to be part of the celebration!  View the complete gallery here!
Best, Katalin Green February 12, 2007

The 2007 Wedding Season
Well, the 2007 season is underway!  We opened the season with one of 
our favorites, a Winter Wedding, complete with an incredible hand-carved snowflake ice sculpture.  See more of this wedding here. 

Our 2007 dates are filling quickly and we are busy researching and doing the prep work so that we can once again present the banner events our clients have come to expect from us.  We just returned from The Special Events convention in Los Angeles and are excited about the new ideas and products that we brought back with us.  If you are planning a 2007 wedding or event and want something extraordinary, give us a call or drop an email, we would love to have the opportunity to make your dreams come true!
Happy New Year and All the Best in 2007, Katalin Green, Jan 15, 2007

The Joy of Wedding Planning
People often times ask me how I do it.  Well, the answer is I pay attention to the details, have a wonderful staff, and work with great vendors.  But most importantly, I love everything about what I do.  The process of starting with a concept and finishing with an extraordinary room allows me to bring my art background into play while managing the running of  the event utilizes the management skills I developed from years in media management.  I also love that I am constantly able to work with different people to create an event that will be the starting point for their life together.  It may sound cliché, but we really are creating life-long memories for our clients.  And because we work with so many great couples, each event is unique for us as well.  We recently produced a wedding for a wonderful couple from a small MT town and had the joy of working closely with their friends and family.  The event was absolutely lovely, but more importantly the wonderful people we met during the event reminded us what a great job we have!
Warmest Regards,  Katalin Green  Nov 8, 2006

Winter Arrives
It seems we always get a big winter blast on Halloween and this year was no exception.  One of the reasons I love Montana is, even with the growth we have experienced, there is still a wonderful community feeling in many of the cites and towns.  This picture of myself and my daughter is from her school's annual Halloween stroll.  The entire school dresses up, parents included, and parades up one side of Main Street and back down the other side.  All of the merchants and shoppers come out and cheer as the children pass by.  It really is an incredible place to raise a family.  It is this same small town attitude that makes Montana such an ideal choice for a wedding.  As Montana has grown, so have the services available to the couple planning a Montana wedding.  In fact, Montana's wedding vendors are on par with those found in any large city in the U.S.   But what Montana offers that you won't find in many cities is the welcome feeling that only a small town can offer.  So whether you are planning a summer wedding or a winter wedding, which by the way we love (more on that later), contact us to see what Montana has to offer to make your wedding dream come true.  
Happy Halloween, Katalin Green Oct 31, 2006

Its All in the Details
We regularly hear from our clients, and their guests, that the wedding was one of the most magical they have ever attended and are often asked what it is that we do to achieve this lofty goal.  The simplest answer is that we take the time to listen to the couple, get to know them and pay attention to the details.  We have developed a reputation as an innovative detail oriented design company.  We were the first to have a brand, blending the couples initials, made by a local ferrier.  After the rehearsal dinner, the couple burned their brand into the bar.  We have had hand blown vases made (in one instance the couple participated), brought in innovative self-contained lighting systems, hidden port-o-potties in a teepee to maintain the look of a rustic ranch wedding, searched our new venues that never considered hosting weddings, and literally chased an antique trucks and cars down Main street to secure them for our couples.   It is this drive to be original in our design, while still paying attention to the classic aesthetic that allows us to take our design to the next level.  When a bride walks into the room for the first time, we  want it to take her breath away, to bring a tear to her eye (In our business, a tear can be the ultimate compliment, and thankfully one that we have been paid on many occasions by brides, mothers, bridesmaids and yes, even grooms!).  But we don't want her to focus on the details, we want her to take in the entirety of the design.  We strive to have all of the elements, down to the tiniest detail, blend seamlessly into the whole of the wedding.  From design elements to actual management of the wedding and reception, we want everything to flow together seamlessly. Behind the scenes, we often feel as if we are producing a play, hitting cues and making small adjustments to insure that everything is just as it should be, all the while seeming effortless to those in attendance.   When we talk to brides after the wedding, we often hear the wedding day was dreamlike, a blur of emotions, family and friends.  It's when they look at the photography that they notice all of the details that created such a wonderful day.  A beautiful, well-planned, detail oriented wedding will result in photography that reflects that beauty, that captures all of the tiny brush strokes that combine to create a beautiful painting.  
Warmest Regards, Katalin Green   Oct 15, 2006
photo by Mery Donald Photographics

Our 2006 Season
Our 2006 Montana weddings were as varied and unique as the couples that we worked with.  The ' 06 season started early with a pair of incredible winter weddings.  Winter, considered by many to be the 'off season' for weddings in MT, offers unique, snow-covered, magical settings, which we love, for weddings.  These early season weddings were no exception with horse-drawn sleigh rides, fires in the hearth and wonderful families to add to the warmth.  From those early winter weddings, we moved into the summer season designing events around the state on ranches and resorts, in barns, museums, and tents, in Montana's larger cities and smallest towns.  Each wedding brought it's own unique set of challenges.  We hid port-o-potties in a teepee to keep the traditional look of a ranch wedding, negotiated with unique venues that had never hosted a wedding, tracked down the original family recipe, and daughter, of a renowned small town pie chef from a groom's childhood,  and kept an eye peeled and bear spray handy in case a local grizzly bear decided to drop in during a fall wedding.  Over the season we traveled well over 15,000 miles to all regions of the state, had truckloads of flowers shipped in from around the world, met couples and families from all over the US (and world), and had the unique privilege of working in some of the most beautiful scenery, always a key element of our design,  in the US.  We also had the opportunity to work with some of the very best vendors in the state, dare we say in the country.  Our caterers stepped up with exquisite food and exceptional service, often prepared in self sufficient kitchens (tents) set up in remote wedding locations.  The beautiful design, vision and joy was captured by inspired photographers (please visit our gallery to see to the work of some of Montana's best). Rental companies from around the state helped us transform empty fields into elegant settings with tents, dance floors, and wonderful table settings.  Our floral design division, Avant Floral, once again defined custom floral design with some truly inspired and innovative floral arrangements, large and small, that drew raves from our clients, their guests and many of our vendors.  And most importantly, my support staff, was there every step of the way. My lead associate, Angela, was in the passenger seat with me for almost every mile of the 2006 season.  While on the road, she ran into black bears fishing in the pristine Glacier National Park, arranged countless centerpieces, braved snow and rain, stayed in a haunted turn-of-the-century B & B (formally a hospital), and laughed and cried (yes we still get teary eyed at weddings) with me on an incredible journey through the season.   The rest of my staff kept everything running and on track in the office, and I want to thank each and every one of them for making 2006 our best season ever,  We are not done yet!  We are in full swing for the winter season and, with our 2007 dates filling quickly, have already started planning for next year's events.  We hope that you enjoy our website and our galleries and that we have the opportunity to share in the joy of your Montana wedding!  
Warmest Regards, Katalin Green, Oct 14, 2006
 photo by Jessica Oliver Photography

Wedding Flowers
Our original vision was for an innovative, design based floral business, but our first client, a ranch wedding in Western MT, needed an event planner.  She liked our vision for her daughter's wedding and hired us as the wedding designer.  We found we enjoyed the challenge, and had a knack for planning and organizing the complete design of events, and we've never looked back.  However, we quickly realized the importance that floral design played in completing that vision.  We found ourselves constantly tinkering or subsidizing the floral design to get just the right look that our clients had expressed.  When one of our clients said, "If we had known you were this good with flowers, we would have just hired you from the start", Avant Floral was born.  Ultimately, our business is design and we realize the importance of really listening to the bride's vision, then finding the details to make it exceed her expectations at all levels. We also believe strongly in innovative design.  We spend a lot of time researching new suppliers and products and have built a deep list of vendors around the world that can supply us with high quality product.  We have a lot of brides that come in with notebooks full of pictures from magazines, but in reality most don't really want a replica of someone else's flowers.  Our job is to take that vision and turn it into the picture that another  bride will take to her florist and say, "I love these flowers!"  To see a sample of our Montana wedding florists work, please visit www.avantfloraldesign.com.
Warmest Regards, Katalin Green, Oct 13, 2006
photo by Loneman Photography